My friend got pregnant shortly after high school graduation. She was understandably anxious and upset because she didn’t know how she was going to tell her parents.
She told her boyfriend first, and he asked her to marry him. My friend agreed, not because she was pregnant but because she loved her boyfriend and wanted to be his wife. There was still the problem of telling her parents about the baby… and the wedding.
When she finally mustered up enough courage to tell them, their reaction was far from what she expected. Her father, a wealthy businessman, offered to buy her a brand-new car if she agreed to cancel the wedding to her unborn baby’s father.
My friend was overwhelmed and confused by this sudden offer. She’d been trying to get her parents to buy her a new car since senior year in high school, and it turned out all she had to do was tell them she was pregnant and threaten to get married.
She quickly learned that her father’s generous gesture was actually an act of controlling behavior. He wanted to prevent his daughter from marrying someone who he deemed unsuitable for her and so he tried to use his wealth and power to manipulate her into doing what he wanted.
It didn’t work.
My friend turned down her father’s generous offer and continued making plans to marry her beau. She and her boyfriend eventually had a beautiful wedding, and it was all made possible by their friends who supported them in ways their families did not.
My friend’s story is a testament to the power of love in the face of adversity. It also serves as a reminder that money can’t buy happiness or control someone’s decisions. Money has its place in life, but not when it comes to matters of the heart.
Her parents were devastated. They had been so against the idea of their daughter getting married that they were willing to buy her a car in order to get her to change her mind.
My friend was determined, though, and she went through with marrying her baby’s father. Refusing her father’s offer turned out to be the best decision she could have made. It showed him that his attempts at controlling behavior weren’t going to work on her. It also taught her something important: money doesn’t always bring happiness or solve problems. Sometimes, standing up for yourself is worth much more than any material thing someone can give you.
In the end, my friend found true happiness and love after all. It just wasn’t with her baby’s father, or with a brand-new car. It was with herself.